Tragically Beautiful
by BrownEyedRose
Summary: Nessarose and Elphaba's childhood. Told from Nessa's POV. Musicalverse..not sure how to spell that...Rated T to be safe, and for possible future interactions.


**A/N:** Okay. This is my first attempt at writing Wicked FF... please tell me if it's terrible. But, nicely. Please. Um.. I wanted this to be musical universe, so i originally had the character of Nanny in here. Then, I realized that Nanny is not in the musical. So, Nurse took Nanny's spot. That explains that.

I do apologize about not updating my Starship fic... I'm at somewhat of a... block in that. Quite sorry. But, you got a Wicked fix out of my Starship writer's block...

**DISCLAIMER**: Wicked, Nessarose, Frex, and Elphaba do NOT belong to me. If they did, well, let's just say I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

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"Elphaba!" Nurse snapped, eyes flashing. "Elphaba, I asked you last night to run to town to get more flour. You didn't, and now look! I can't make any bread. Go, now and pray to Lurline that they haven't run out."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, and dropped her paintbrush, abandoning the painting she was supposed to be making for her school class. "I'll be right back Nessa." She said, and started to lace up her boots.

"Ellie? Can I come?" I asked, hating the pleading note that came into my voice, but I was willing to do anything to get out of the house.

Nurse didn't let her answer. "Of course not, Nessie. You'll stay here, safe, with me. It's too dangerous for you to go down into town. The road is rocky, and you might upset your chair."

Ellie gave me a slightly sympathetic look, and scurried out the door. I struggled to wheel my chair over to the window to watch her run off, but I was too late. Ellie was too fast for my clumsy chair. Frustrated, I tried to turn my chair, but it was too awkward. Instead of turning in a neat circle like I had hoped, I knocked over a little side table. Nurse heard the crash from the kitchen and dashed in to find water, dead flowers and broken glass in a pile on the floor.

"Oh, sweetie, I know that you didn't mean to do it, did you? Now, let Nursie read you a nice storybook, with pretty pictures. Hmm? How does that sound? Would you like that?"

I looked at Nurse in astonishment. She was talking to me as if I were a baby, a child of three. For Oz's sake, I was nearly twelve.

"Please call me Nessa." I said. Nurse looked confused, so I guess it came out colder than I meant it. "Thank you for the offer, Nurse, but I believe that I would reap greater benefits by studying the history of Animals in Ozian government."

With that, I managed to wheel out of the dimly lit front room with my remaining dignity, through the narrow passageway, and into the even darker room Ellie and I shared.

_Why does everyone think that I'm a child, that I'm mentally damaged? My legs have nothing, __**nothing**__ to do with my mind. In fact, I bet I'm smarter than those town kids who spend their days wrestling and…and…playing outside, or whatever they do. Ellie says I'm smarter than some of the girls in her class, and I've never even been to school. So there! _

Satisfied that I was right, I opened my book, which was not, in fact about the history of Animals in Ozian government, but a book Ellie had brought me back from town. It was about a boy who no one liked, who was different, but it turned out he was special, he was a wizard, with powers he never expected to have.

I managed to lose myself in the fantasy world, like I've done since I learned to read. Well, I was lost, until Ellie crept in, her clothing soaking wet, shivering.

"Ellie!" I exclaimed. "What in Oz happened?"

She motioned for me to be quiet, and carefully slid out of her clothes, wincing as her wet hair made contact with her bare back.

"Ellie! What happened?" I asked again, slightly worried.

She sat down on my bed, wearing her old, patched nightdress. "Some kids from school thought it would be funny to ambush me with a pail of water. Someone had heard about my…dislike of water."

Ellie started to try and braid her long black hair, but it was obvious that the water drops still clinging in her hair hurt her fingers.

"Here." I said, inching myself to the front of my chair. "Here, Ellie let me do it." Gently, I braided back her hair, and then wove it together so that the still damp braids wouldn't touch her neck.

"Elphaba!" A harsh voice came from the front room. "Elphaba!"

Ellie stood up, and stomped out of the room, leaving me to slowly wheel myself after her. By the time I got there, Father was already yelling.

"Look! Look at this Elphaba!" He screamed, motioning to the broken vase on the floor. "That vase was a gift to your mother! And, now you've gone and broken it!" Father drew back his hand, and hit Ellie as hard as he could across the face. "Pick it up! Pick it up now!"

I watched helplessly as Ellie struggled to pick up the pieces, trying to avoid the water. She flinched as the water brushed her fingers, burning them.

I couldn't take any more of it.

"Daddy! Daddy! It was me! I knocked it over, I was trying to move my chair, and I knocked the table over, ask Nurse, please Daddy, let Ellie get up!"

Father looked at me in surprise, and then at Ellie. "Oh. Well, then… if that's what happened…" He looked at me now. I nodded quickly. "Then, Elphaba, you may go to bed. Nessie, I know you didn't mean it. It must be hard with that chair." Father walked across the room, and kissed my forehead. He looked at Ellie, and then without another word, he left the room.

"Ellie? Ellie, could you please wheel me back?" I hated asking people to do things for me, but my arms were so tired. "Ellie, please?"

She glared at me, and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Ellie! Please don't be mad! Ellie!"


End file.
